Former Orioles manager Earl Weaver dies at 82

Hall of Famer Earl Weaver, the cantankerous baseball wizard who led the Orioles to the World Series in each of his first three full seasons as manager, died yesterday. He was 82.

Weaver died Friday night while on a cruise, according to Monica Barlow, the team’s public relations head.

The legendary Earl of Baltimore managed parts of 17 major league seasons in Baltimore and the Orioles failed to post a winning record under him only once (1986). His career was defined by an affinity for the three-run home run and a long-running, public feud with superstar pitcher Jim Palmer that both men jokingly played to whenever together.

Weaver won six American League East titles, four pennants and one world title. His .583 career winning percentage ranks fifth among modern managers (since 1900) with at least 10 seasons in the major leagues. Factor in his reputation as one of the games great strategists and it’s no wonder that he was selected by the Hall of Fame Veterans Committee for induction at Cooperstown in 1996.